


IT May Be Dead but Magic Isn't

by RandomThingsInLife



Series: It's Overwhelming [3]
Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Adrian Mellon Lives, Everybody Lives, F/M, Gen, I said this was a Fix It AU didn't i, M/M, Magic cause I said so, The Losers Club Are Good Friends (IT), The Turtle CAN Help Us, is that a little bit of hanbrough i see there, the kids live
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:48:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23291953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RandomThingsInLife/pseuds/RandomThingsInLife
Summary: They're sitting at breakfast when Bill suddenly makes a noise like he’s been punched in the gut. He’s looking out the window. Richie follows his gaze and starts when he sees the three dirt covered figures walking down the sidewalk. A young guy, a little girl, and a little boy. He's pretty sure that's the kid from the Chinese restaurant. And he's pretty sure the guy with him is Adrian Mellon. What the fuck is going on?
Relationships: Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Series: It's Overwhelming [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1633264
Comments: 8
Kudos: 52





	IT May Be Dead but Magic Isn't

**Author's Note:**

> Use of hand wavy magic to fix things. Maybe it's belief, maybe it's the Turtle, who knows.

Mike takes them to breakfast at a restaurant that’s located where the old butcher’s shop used to be. Mike clearly comes here a lot because the staff greet him warmly when he walks in.

They get a table, which ends up being most of the tables in the place all shoved together. But while they’re there, they don’t see anyone else around. It’s early, they’d passed out quickly last night and are now up well before the town fully wakes.

They’re much more subdued this morning than they’ve been at any other meal they’ve had since their reunion. Probably because it’s still early. Richie’s sat between Stan and Eddie again, absentmindedly munching on his bacon. They’re all quiet, and Richie figures they’re still coming down from the adrenaline high of the last few days.

There’s a lazy discussion of Bill’s latest book going on when Bill suddenly makes a noise like he’s been punched in the gut. He’s looking out the window. Richie follows his gaze and starts when he sees the three dirt covered figures walking down the sidewalk. A young guy, a little girl, and a little boy. Richie elbows Stan.

“Isn’t that the kid from the other night?” he says.

“Yeah,” Stan says, “Dean.”

Bill makes that hurt sound again and jumps up from the table and nearly sprints outside. That’s when it hits him that Bill had said he’d seen Pennywise eat the kid. And now that Richie’s looking closer, isn’t that guy Adrian Mellon?

Richie follows Bill outside. Bill’s frozen, staring at the figures as they get closer.

“Dean?” Richie asks hesitantly.

“Hi,” Dean says, voice rough like he hasn’t used it in days.

“You know him, kid?” The guy, who’s got to be Adrian Mellon, asks Dean.

“He’s Richie Tozier, the comedian,” Dean says. “I met him the other day.”

“I heard you met my friend Bill, too,” Richie says.

“He told me to avoid the drain,” Dean says. “He tried to help me in the maze.”

Bill sucks in a shaky breath. Richie clamps a hand on Bill’s shoulder.

“Hey, Big Bill, go get Mikey, yeah?” Richie says.

Bill nods and goes back inside. Richie can feel the Losers’ eyes on him but he’s focused on the three people in front of him.

“You guys,” Richie starts.

“Do you know what’s going on?” Probably Adrian cuts him off.

Richie huffs a humorless laugh. “I thought I did, man, but I’m not sure anymore. Mike may have a better idea. You’re Adrian Mellon, right?” he says.

“Yeah,” Adrian confirms.

“And what’s your name, sweetheart?” Richie asks the little girl.

She looks hesitant and casts a glance at Dean. He gives her a small nod and she looks back at Richie.

“Vicky,” she says quietly.

“Hi Vicky, I’m Richie,” Richie says with a small wave.

She smiles shyly up at him.

“Rich?” Mike says behind him.

“Hey Mikey! You remember Dean from the Chinese restaurant, right?” Richie says.

“Yeah, hi Dean,” Mike says, coming to a stop beside Richie. “Hi Vicky,” he says gently.

“Hi Mr. Hanlon,” Vicky says.

“How much do you think we can rely on whatever’s in the air in Derry to keep this quiet?” Richie asks Mike in a low voice.

“The staff is all in the back, so maybe we have a little bit longer,” Mike says. He turns his attention back to the other three. “You guys want something to eat?” he asks.

“Yeah,” Dean says.

Vicky nods.

“I’m starving,” Adrian says.

“Come with us,” Mike says and leads them back into the restaurant.

Ben seems to have anticipated this outcome; he’s pulling another table over to theirs when they get inside.

“We ordered a bunch of everything,” Bev says brightly.

Mike shows the kids to the bathrooms to clean up and they come out about ten minutes later. There’s nothing to be done about their clothes right now, so they remain dusty, but at least their skin is clean. The waitress has dropped the additional food at the table and they tear into it hungrily. Mike introduces the rest of the Losers and they watch the kids eat quietly. Once they slow down, Mike leans forward.

“What happened to you?” he asks.

“We got eaten by a clown,” Adrian says sarcastically.

“We know that,” Richie rolls his eyes. “But you’re back, you’re alive, so what happened after that?”

“We woke up in the Barrens,” Dean says.

Mike and Bill share a quick look.

“Okay. Were you covered in dirt like this?” Richie asks.

“Yeah,” Dean says. “We saw, a, uh”

“Like a turtle or something,” Adrian says.

Bev lets out a quick gasp.

Richie nods. “Okay, yeah, turtle sounds familiar.” He says. Fucking Deadlights.

Adrian looks a little less tense now.

“You guys are in on it,” He says.

“That makes it sound like we’re in cahoots with the clown,” Eddie says.

Richie snorts. “Cahoots, Eds? Really?” he says.

Eddie rolls his eyes.

“We know what goes on in Derry,” Mike takes over. “We were here for the last cycle. 27 years ago. We stopped it then. We thought we’d killed it, but clearly, we didn’t. At least not then. We got it this time though.”

“You sure about that?” Adrian says. “Cause you just said you’d thought you got it the first time and were wrong.”

“We were kids then,” Bill says. “We had no idea what it was we were going up against.”

“But we definitely got it this time,” Mike says.

“It’s super dead,” Richie says. “We crushed it’s heart and the deadlights went out.”

“That’s probably why you’re back,” Mike says.

“Cause you killed it?” Adrian asks.

“Oh shit, Mikey,” Richie says. That actually makes sense. They broke the cycle, they stopped It. And the Turtle is fixing things.

“The Turtle can help us after all,” Stan says, apparently coming to the same conclusion Richie had.

“Do you guys get off on being cryptic?” Adrian says.

Richie decides he likes Adrian.

“Sorry,” Stan says. “A lot of it is… hard to put into words.”

“Maybe start explaining from the beginning?” Adrian says.

The Losers look at each other.

“The first thing you have to understand is that it’s not just a clown,” Bill says. “I know how crazy this all sounds, but you guys are back from the dead, so, maybe you’re willing to believe us.”

“If it’s not just a clown, what is it?” Vicky asks.

Mike smiles at her gently. “It’s, well,” he starts.

“It’s a shapeshifting monster from space,” Richie says.

The Losers glare at him and he shrugs.

“There’s not a way to ease into that one, guys,” he says.

Adrian lets out a quiet laugh.

“Plus, they’ve seen the Turtle!” Richie continues his defense.

Stan rolls his eyes.

“Richie’s right,” Mike concedes. “It crashed here billions of years ago. There was a Native American village here originally, but they moved to get away from It. Then Derry was built.”

Mike and Ben tag team explaining all the tragedy that has befallen Derry in the years since the town was built.

“Which brings us to last cycle,” Mike says, with a nervous glance at Bill.

“My little brother, Georgie, was the first kill of the cycle,” Bill says. “There wasn’t a body, so he was officially categorized as missing. A bunch of other kids went missing as well. I was convinced I could still find him. I drug Richie, Stan, and Eddie down to the Barrens to look for him. That’s where we met Ben. We had few more run ins with Henry Bowers, who the clown was manipulating. That’s what brought us all together. I think because we were together and actively against it, we were able to not get killed.”

“We fought it, we got hurt, we fought each other,” Mike says. “Eventually it took Bev and we went to get her back. That’s when we stopped it. We put an end to the cycle early and it went into hibernation like it always does. But we thought we’d killed it. Still, we made a promise that if it wasn’t really dead, we’d come back. All of us left, except me. And when, sorry Adrian, when Adrian was killed, it left us a message. I called them all back and we, well there was, what did you call it Richie, a scavenger hunt from hell?”

“Yeah,” Richie smiles. “Mike had found some kind of ritual that was supposed to trap it. We tried, it didn’t work, we all almost got killed, but we managed to figure out that all it takes to kill an alien space clown monster is some, like, minor bullying.” Richie shrugs.

“We killed it, we’re sure of it this time,” Bev says.

“We remember everything, which is a good sign,” Eddie says.

“And you guys are back,” Mike adds, “Which means we must have done something right.”

“I really hope you’re right,” Adrian says. “Don’s going to have a hard-enough time with this as it is, I don’t think he could handle me coming back only to disappear.”

“It’ll be easier with the kids,” Mike says, “Officially, they’re missing and it’s only been a few days. We’ll have to come up with something to tell their parents.” He rubs at his temples.

“What if we say a guy dressed like a clown kidnapped us and we managed to escape when he left to get something?” Adrian suggests.

Dean nods beside him. “Yeah, big scary dude, took us, kept us in the sewers for a while,” he says.

Vicky giggles.

“Neibolt,” Richie says. “He kept you in Neibolt. You were able to get out when it started coming down. He was still in there.”

“Dude,” Eddie says, giving him a wide-eyed look.

“That’s perfect,” Mike says.

“Neibolt?” Adrian asks.

“Yeah, that creepy looking place on Neibolt Street,” Eddie says. “It lived underneath there, kinda used the house as it’s above ground base. The place came down around us after we killed it.”

“So it’s reasonable that we’d been kept there and that we would have been able to escape?” Adrian says.

“Yes,” Stan says. “But it doesn’t explain the state of their clothes.”

“They had to get out through the sewers, ended up in the Barrens,” Bill says.

“That, that might actually work,” Adrian says.

“Well done, Trashmouth,” Stan says. “That was actually a good idea.”

“You do remember Richie was a straight A student, right Stan?” Eddie says.

Richie pokes him in the side. They haven’t told the Losers about them yet and he doesn’t want Eddie to give it away.

“Well you were!” Eddie says.

“You’re going to ruin my reputation, Eds,” Richie says.

“What reputation,” Eddie rolls his eyes.

Richie opens his mouth.

“Beep beep, Richie,” Stan says before he can even say anything.

Richie huffs and rolls his eyes.

“You were only going to say something stupid. We don’t have time for you to play with Eddie right now,” Stan says.

Richie sticks his tongue out at Stan but turns to look at Mike when he clears his throat.

“I think, I think we should send Adrian with Dean and Vicky to take them home. Then we’ll meet up at the Townhouse and Adrian can get a shower and some clean clothes. I’ll find Don and bring him there to explain things,” Mike says.

“That should work,” Adrian says. “What do you think kids?”

Vicky and Dean nod.

“And what are we telling your parents?” Adrian asks them.

“That a man in a clown costume kidnapped us,” Dean says.

“And he kept us in the creepy house on Neibolt street,” Vicky says.

“But we escaped from where he was keeping us when the building started to fall down,” Dean says.

“We couldn’t get out so we climbed into the basement and it had a place we could get in the sewers,” Vicky says.

“So we climbed down into them and walked until we found light. We came out in the Barrens,” Dean says.

“Then we walked back to town,” Vicky says.

“Great,” Adrian says. “I think we got it.”

“You want a ride?” Richie asks.

“If you think that’s okay?” Adrian looks between Richie and Mike.

“I don’t think it would hurt. Richie could have just been driving by at the right time,” Mike says.

Richie nods. The kids finish eating and he shows them to the car.

It’s pretty easy to return the kids to their families. Richie stays in the car like he’s just giving people a ride. The kids’ parents are happy to have them back and don’t seem overly curious about what happened. Richie guesses that there’s still a little magic in Derry.

Once both kids are successfully back at home he heads towards the Townhouse. Adrian is quiet in the passenger seat.

“You okay, man?” Richie asks gently.

Adrian sighs. “I just don’t know how well all this will go over,” he says.

“Hey, I’m sure Don will be overjoyed to see you alive and well,” Richie says.

“You think he’ll believe it’s me?” Adrian says.

“Yeah, man,” Richie says. “He knows you, right? He loves you. He’ll know it’s you.”

“You seem pretty sure,” Adrian says.

“You believe in soulmates?” Richie asks. He doesn’t wait for Adrian to answer. “I didn’t for a long time, but now, now I have to. I have to, because I’ve been in love with the same guy since I was like ten, and we lost touch for a while and I just saw him for the first time again and, bam, I knew it was him, and I knew I still loved him.”

Adrian eyes him speculatively. “That’s some real soulmate shit,” he says.

“Tell me about it,” Richie laughs. “Love is it’s own kind of magic. Even if you’re nervous, I’ll believe for you. It’s gonna be fine.”

“Thanks,” Adrian says with a soft smile. He turns back to the window. “You know, I’ve seen some of your stuff before.”

Richie groans. “Okay, before you judge me, I had an asshole manager and shitty writers,” he says.

“So, Aggressively Straight Richie Tozier is actually gay?” Adrian says.

“Off the record, yeah,” Richie says. “I plan to announce it. Give me a minute to breathe man, we _just_ killed an alien clown monster.”

Adrian laughs.

“Listen, when I come out, if you wanna do an article, you can be the first one,” Richie says.

“What, really?” Adrian says.

“Yeah,” Richie smiles. “Us small town queers gotta stick together.” He winks.

“Dude,” Adrian says. “That would be awesome.”

“We’ll let you get back on your feet first,” Richie says.

“Which one of the guys from breakfast are you in love with?” Adrian smirks.

“You know, I’ll let you guess,” Richie says.

They’ve reached the Townhouse and Richie parks. The other Losers have made it back, but Mike’s truck isn’t there yet.

Richie leads Adrian inside.

Eddie’s sitting on the steps. He stands when they enter.

“Hey, Bill thinks his stuff should fit Adrian so he went to grab some clothes,” Eddie says to Richie.

“I can’t just use Bill’s shower?” Adrian asks.

“Uh, not like it is now,” Richie says.

“Is it broken?” Adrian asks.

“Something like that,” Richie says.

“Hey,” Bill calls from the landing, “Whose room can he use to shower?”

“Mine,” Eddie says and gestures for Adrian to follow him.

Richie and Bill join the other Losers in the lounge. Mike and Don get there while Adrian is still showering.

“Hi,” Don says nervously when he and Mike join them.

“Hi,” Bev smiles. “Thanks for coming.”

“Mr. Hanlon said he had something important he needed to tell me?” Don says uncertainly.

“That was it?” Richie asks, looking pointedly at Mike.

Mike shrugs. “Wasn’t sure where to start,” He says.

Stan sighs. “Let’s start by introducing ourselves,” He says and rattles off the introductions.

“Nice to meet you guys,” Don says. He still looks confused and a little wary.

It hits Richie that he’s got no clue what’s happening and he just watched his boyfriend get murdered by homophobes less than a week ago. Richie glances around the room. Bev and Ben are cuddled up on one of the couches. Stan’s in one of the chairs. He and Bill are on the other couch. Bill and Mike are having some sort of intense conversation with only their eyes.

Richie looks at Stan. Stan rolls his eyes at him and pulls his phone out.

“Whatcha doing Stan?” Richie asks him.

“Letting my wife know I’m still alive,” Stan deadpans.

Mike settles onto the couch next to Bill. Their attempt at a telepathic communication becomes a quiet conversation instead.

Richie looks up at Don. “Hey, you can have a seat, man,” He says in what he hopes is a reassuring manner. “We don’t bite.”

“Uh, thanks,” Don says and takes a seat in the other chair.

Richie’s phone buzzes.

 **Stan:** What are you doing?

 **Richie:** Dude, he’s freaked out. He has no idea who we are or why he’s here or what’s going on.

 **Richie:** Plus, don’t forget, he watched his bf get murdered by homophobes like less than a week ago.

 **Stan:** fair

 **Richie:** I can’t be the reassuring one, Stan, I’m a mess

Stan sighs. “How are you holding up, Don?” he asks.

“Uh, I’m doing okay,” Don says hesitantly.

“I can’t imagine what you’re going through,” Bev says gently.

Don looks at them again. “Where, where are you guys from?” he asks.

“Right here in Derry!” Richie says with false cheer.

Don snorts. “At least you got out,” He says. Derry’s a small enough town that he would have known them if they’d been around.

“Not all of us,” Stan says, looking at Mike, who is still deeply involved in whatever conversation he’s having with Bill.

“What brought you to town?” Don asks.

“The class reunion from hell,” Richie groans. “We can start explaining, but I don’t think you’re likely to believe us.” He says.

Don looks at him like he’s considering the options. 

“I can’t let you do that, Bill!” Mike says loudly. Richie jumps a little in surprise.

“I’m not asking,” Bill says.

Richie eyes them warily. “You guys good?”

“Bill wants to stay here with me until I’m ready to leave,” Mike sighs.

“It’s not like it’ll take that long, Mikey,” Bill says.

“If he wants to stay, is there any reason he shouldn’t?” Stan asks.

“What about your wife?” Mike says to Bill.

“I already told you guys we’re getting a divorce,” Bill says. “It’s probably better for me not to be around for a bit.” He shrugs.

Mike sighs and runs a hand over his face. “Fine,” he says.

Bill grins at him.

Stan and Richie look at each other. Stan raises an eyebrow, is there something going on there. Richie shrugs, maybe. He looks back over at them; they both look pleased with themselves. Richie looks back at Stan, tilts his head, probably. Stan smirks, they’ve been sharing a mattress. Richie grins, get it Big Bill. Stan laughs.

“Was that an entire conversation?” Bev says teasingly.

Stan smiles. “I’d forgotten we could do that,” he says.

“Awesome,” Richie grins.

“What was that about?” Ben asks.

“Minor speculation,” Stan says, waving a hand dismissively, “Nothing to worry about.”

Don seems to be relaxing as he watches them tease each other. “You guys grew up together?” he asks.

“Yep!” Bev says. “We were around the last time there was a child murder spree.”

Ben chokes on a laugh. “That’s how you’re putting it?”

“Trying to see how many weird ways we can describe what happened,” She shrugs.

“We’re the Losers Club, Don. And, yes, we’re always this weird.” Richie says before Don can say what he’s _clearly_ thinking.

Don laughs quietly. “So, this, it all happened before?” he asks.

“Yeah, about every 30 years. It’s a cycle that’s been going on for centuries. But it’s over now. We stopped it last time, as kids, but we ended it this time,” Ben says.

“Is it like a cult thing?” Don asks.

“Sometimes,” Mike says, plugging into the conversation finally. “It’s hatred and fear and it grows and works wherever it can get a foothold. So, gangs, cults, supremacist groups, angry teenagers, an explosion, whatever it can use.”

“What exactly is it?” Don asks.

“That’s where things get weird,” Mike says.

“Can we come down?” Eddie calls from upstairs, interrupting whatever explanation Mike was about to attempt.

The Losers look to Bill.

“Yeah, come on,” Bill says.

Don looks confused again. “What’s going on?”

Eddie comes into the room before Adrian. He smiles at Don and joins Bev and Ben on their couch.

Adrian steps tentatively into the room. Don shoots up from his chair. “Adrian,” he says, voice barely above a whisper. “Adrian?” Don steps toward him.

Adrian is nodding. “It’s me,” he says.

Don gets his arms around Adrian and pulls him in close. Don’s repeating Adrian’s name and Adrian keeps saying “It’s me.”

The Losers give them time. Don eventually pulls back to look Adrian in the face.

“How?” He says.

“Ask them,” Adrian says with a small laugh.

Don nods. “You’re really back?” he asks.

“I think so, they think so,” Adrian says.

Don looks back to the Losers. “What’s happening?” he asks.

“Like I said, this is where things get weird.” Mike sighs. “It’s a long story.”

“You gonna start like that every time, Mikey?” Richie says.

“What do you want me to say, Rich?” Mike teases.

“Dude, anything,” Richie rolls his eyes. “At this point waving your hand and saying magic is better than all the hedging.”

“Magic?” Stan snorts. “That’s what you want to go with?”

“You got a better word for it, Staniel?” Richie says.

Stan thinks for a second. “No, that’s probably the closest.”

“It’s still not very helpful for explaining things,” Bill says.

“Sure, but it’s a jumping off point,” Bev says. “Once you establish that we’re working on the basis that magic is involved, you’re kinda open to explain everything else easier.”

“Right,” Richie says. “So first there’s magic. And also a shapeshifting monster from space. That’s what the clown that got Adrian was. That’s what the ‘It’ Mike was talking about is. We killed it and there’s apparently enough residual magic hanging around to bring Adrian and the two kids It ate back.”

“Not bad,” Eddie says. Richie thinks he may be blushing.

Adrian smirks at Richie knowingly. Ah, so Richie is blushing, he’s caught. He shrugs back at Adrian. It doesn’t matter in the end; he’s always been obviously in love with Eddie.

“So, he’s back, for real, permanently?” Don says.

“Seems that way,” Richie says.

“If there was enough magic to bring him back, I don’t know why it would be temporary,” Mike says. “It makes more sense for it to be a onetime thing. Like, bring these three back and then be done with the whole thing. Putting a timer on it seems like more work.”

“If you think about it, none of us are guaranteed any number of years. We can only do what we can with the time that we have,” Bill says.

Stan and Eddie roll their eyes. Adrian snorts.

“That’s what we get for being friends with a writer,” Bev says.

“But you really think its permanent?” Don presses, looking between the Losers.

“I do,” Richie says confidently, locking eyes with Stan.

Stan nods. “Me too,” he says.

“So do I,” Bev says.

Eddie and Ben nod.

Mike looks hesitant. Bill looks concerned. Richie and Stan glare at them.

“Yes,” Mike says, looking between Richie and Stan. He elbows Bill in the side.

“Ayup,” Bill says, rubbing at his ribs.

Bev snorts.

“You can take the man out of Maine, but you can’t take Maine out of the man,” Richie says, giggling.

Eddie, Bev, and Ben shake with suppressed laughter and even Stan cracks a smile. Mike smiles at them fondly. Bill heaves an exaggerated sigh.

Adrian is smiling at them like they’re crazy but he’s here for it. Don looks overwhelmed. Richie gets it. He’d be a little overwhelmed if he watched the love of his life die then come back from the dead. Hell, he’d be a little overwhelmed watching the Losers interact if he’d never seen them before.

Richie gives Don a reassuring smile. Don hesitantly returns it.

“So where do we go from here?” Stan asks.

“Well, I know I'm not staying here for much longer, but it will take me a minute to pack up my apartment,” Mike says. “And apparently Bill will be staying here while I do that. So the two of us can keep an eye on Don and Adrian just to make sure that everything is okay.”

“We’ll also keep an eye on the kids’ families and make sure that everything is fine there too,” Bill says.

“I've got some stuff I’ll eventually need take care of back in New York, but I’ve got time I can take,” Eddie says.

“I need to actually get things rolling with a lawyer, but I can do that from anywhere,” Bev says.

“We can stay longer if you need us to, Mike,” Stan says.

“There's really no reason for you all to stay here,” Mike says. “None of us wanted to be here in the first place, so it's best if we just move forward.”

“Still Mikey, we left you holding the bag and if you need us to stay for a little bit, we definitely can. I'm pretty sure all of us are in a position where we can take some time off.” Richie says.

“Really guys, all I'm going to be doing is packing up. I’m thinking of taking a really long road trip to see what's out there that I've missed out on,” Mike says. “I already can't get Bill to leave, and I don't actually have room to keep more people at my place.”

Bill sticks his tongue out at Mike. Stan smiles.

“So we'll get back to our normal lives I guess. We’ll plan to meet up soon,” Ben says.

“So, things just go back to normal now?” Adrian asks.

“Nah,” Richie says. “There's no going back to how things were before. We just have to move on with life and see what comes next.”

Adrian and Don smile at each other.

“Hopefully, it’s long lives for all of us,” Bev says.

“Since Richie promised me an interview and I’m literally wearing Bill’s clothes, I think it’s only right that I get all of your numbers for this clown trauma support group chat I’m thinking of starting,” Adrian says.

Richie tosses Adrian his phone. “I’m starting that right now, holy shit,” he says. “Put Don in there too.”

Adrian laughs and plugs in the numbers. He tosses the phone back to Richie.

Richie immediately adds all of them to a group chat called Clown Bullshit Support Group.

Stan rolls his eyes at the notification.

“Are we done here?” Adrian asks. “Cause if so, I think Don and I need some alone time.” He leers at his boyfriend.

Don shakes his head and turns bright red. Richie laughs.

“Feel free to text or call if you have any questions about anything,” Mike says.

“Feel free to call or text just cause you feel like it, man. You survived the clown bullshit and that makes you one of us,” Richie says. “Welcome to the Losers’ Club, assholes.”

Adrian grins widely at him. Don’s smile is a little more tentative, but this time it’s firmly there.

“Thanks,” Adrian says. He tugs at Don’s arm.

“Yeah,” Don says sincerely, “Thank you, really.”

“No problem, man,” Richie says. “Nice to meet you guys.”

“Don’t forget about my interview,” Adrian says as he pulls Don out of the room.

“I won’t,” Richie laughs after them.

“What interview?” Bill asks.

“You know, Billiam, you can read it when he’s done,” Richie says.

“You give him first dibs?” Stan asks.

“Yeah,” Richie smiles. “It’s a shitty consolation prize for the bullshit he went through, but you know, small town queers and all that.”

Stan smiles.

“So what are everyone’s plans?” Bill asks.

They all share a look then start laughing.

“I think you’re the only one with a solid plan, Bill,” Stan says.

Bill laughs.

“Give us a minute to look at flights and stuff, make calls,” Bev says.

“I get it, I get it,” Bill says. “You guys make plans. Let me treat you all to dinner tonight before you leave, alright?”

They agree, then split up.

By the time they reconvene for dinner, they’ve all solidified their plans to leave. It’s once again a raucous affair, and they end it back in the Townhouse lounge having drinks late into the night. They end up having to help each other up the stairs to collapse into their shared beds.

The morning brings hangovers that prove they’re too old to go as hard as they did and they make their way painfully to the diner for a big greasy breakfast.

“Hey, what are we gonna do about the situation in Bill’s room?” Richie says around a mouthful of eggs.

“Oh fuck, how did we forget about that?” Eddie says, eyes wide.

“Relax guys,” Mike says. “I talked to the cops while I was at the hospital. Told them he’d attacked me and when I fought him off he ended up with the knife in his own chest. They’re taking care of it. Apparently, he killed a few people busting his way out of Juniper Hills, so they’re not particularly upset that he’s dead.”

“How convenient,” Stan says.

“I bet it’s the fucking turtle again,” Richie says.

“Probably,” Bev says. “I’m glad he’s on our side for once.”

“It doesn’t really matter,” Mike says. “It’s close enough to the truth and no one is in trouble over it. They’ll probably come get him today.”

“Well it’s a good thing,” Richie says. “You’re running out of time for us to help hide a body, Mikey.”

“You guys were perfectly happy to leave without helping me,” Mike says. “I see how it is.”

“Dude, we offered to stay,” Richie says.

“Bill’s staying,” Stan says dismissively. “He would have helped.”

“Sure, leave me the tiny writer, that’ll be so much help,” Mike says.

“Look, Mike, we see you, and you could probably bench press _me._ I don’t think you would actually need help, just, like, a lookout. And Bill’s perfectly sized for that,” Richie says.

“I still can’t believe that _I’m_ taller than Bill now,” Eddie says. “You remember how he used to be the tallest?”

“Hilarious guys, really,” Bill rolls his eyes.

“You love us,” Richie grins.

“Yeah,” Bill says fondly. “I do.”

They tease Bill a little more, and, feeling much better after eating, head back to the Townhouse to get ready to leave town.


End file.
